


More Than A Curse

by Emono



Series: Prince Ryan AU [6]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Implied Mpreg, Knotting, M/M, Potions, Shameless Smut, Threesome - M/M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-06-06 11:34:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6752362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emono/pseuds/Emono
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael makes Prince Ryan read him human fairytales, he enjoys them. Especially the ones with blonde princesses. Seeing the pictures of marriages and happy faces, Michael decides he wants to marry Ryan in his own way - the dragon way. So Michael asks Ryan to go through his rut with him, to knot him and bond as mates. Ryan agrees, but neither of them realize that Ray is planning on coming to the den to capture Ryan. Ray stumbles upon them mid-rut and he has a choice to make - leave, or accept Michael's offer to join.</p><p>Though they both love Ryan, there is something between the dragon and the sorcerer. And they are not afraid to explore that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	More Than A Curse

**Inspired by published and unpublished asks from the[Prince Ryan AU on my tumblr](http://emono-omae.tumblr.com/tagged/prince-ryan-au). I hope you guys like it. Feedback makes me write faster. Love you guys, your support and asks are my life blood**

 

* * *

 

 

Michael’s lair, his den, was carved deep into some of the highest mountains Ryan had ever seen. Michael had been stealing him away since he was fourteen but even now, with twenty one summers under his belt, he still found the place stunning. Michael had dug it with his own claws and hit a cavern, digging out and smoothing smaller caves before flooding the deepest pits with treasures. Mounds of gold, jewelry, armor, weapons, silver, stones of all kinds - anything precious or shiny, the dragon had taken it and added it to his hoard.

 

Michael considered Ryan part of that hoard, but the prince was lucky as he was loved enough to be let out for periods of time instead of shut away in the mountain. 

 

Though Ryan often slept on Michael in his full dragon form with a silk pillow and the creature’s fiery warmth against his bare skin, there was a nest room deeper in one of the self-carved caves. The walls had been smoothed out by the dragon’s own hands and he had furnished it the day he learned the mate his soul was yearning for was  _ human _ . Michael crafted a round mattress out of linen and hundreds upon hundreds of feathers he’d plucked himself from all sorts of game fowl. It was covered in heaping layers of sheets, silk and otherwise, that he’d stolen from villages to keep the stems from stabbing his mate through the linen. Every pillow Michael came across in his ventures he’d taken. Once he had lucked upon a hunter’s cabin and raided it for furs, finding them tanned on the inside and still in perfect condition. Those joined the nest (or  _ bed _ , as those humans called it.) 

 

But as Michael got to know Prince James Ryan Haywood, he learned there was more need to him than creature comforts. So Michael clawed out an alcove and found the heaviest stones to create a hearth, a fire pit for when Ryan stayed and the dragon had to leave for food. The mountain was chilled within and his human didn’t voice it, but the way he clung to him spoke volumes of how deeply he felt the cold.

 

Little things like that started to build, things the dragon would have never thought of in his hundreds of years. When he stole his prince he would keep him for a week at a time, maybe two. Before they started to truly mate and spend hours in the nest enjoying the pleasures of the flesh, he realized the prince got bored. They enjoyed each other’s company but Ryan had grown up with his every whim indulged, and Michael wanted to give him that same pampered treatment.

 

Over the years, the nest room filled with interesting things, things Michael would steal in the night under the guise of his human form. He’d put them in great, thick sacks and fly whatever it was back to the cave in careful claws. Easels, an array of paints, canvases, charcoals, scrolls of blank paper, carving (and throwing) knives, an archery set for hunting on the mountain side, and a chess board with an almost-complete set of wooden pieces that had to be carved.

 

As Ryan grew older they not only fell into bed but the prince fell in love with reading.

 

Obtaining books was harder than Michael had expected. While most villages had the hobby items his prince needed, only bigger human cities had books. To keep from upsetting his prince, Michael flew far South to obtain the bounty. He reduced himself to a fully human form and posed as a prophet, sneaking into a city and sniffing out their ruler. Michael crawled in through the man’s window in the dead of night and woke him, straddling his waist and using his natural magic and heat to daze him.

 

“You will prepare a large assortment of books in a crate and leave them outside the city’s gates or everything in ten miles will burn to the sand.”

 

“Who are you?”

 

“Do as a I say or your people will be nothing more than smears of ash upon melted stone.”

 

The man had grown pale in terror, trembling. “Only one creature can melt stone.”

 

“And it is that creature who will devour and destroy if you do not do this simple task.”

 

That’s how Michael brought a hulking crate of books back to his lair. Ryan had lit up like a fire at the sight of them and had kissed Michael so fiercely that the dragon swore he would give him everything, would rob a thousand cities blind of books if it made him happy. Together during one of Ryan’s longer stays, they constructed shelves out of wood and precious metals before setting up all the books in an order that pleased the prince. 

 

And so Ryan read, and learned, taking back with him pages of notes and new knowledge to add to the royal library. 

 

o0o0o0o

 

Michael’s latest procurement of books included a new genre that had his mate all excited. 

 

“Fairytales?” Michael echoed, spread out in their nest. The prince was only in a simple wrap skirt and he was admiring the human’s back. The rise and slope of his shoulder blades, the long line of his spine, the sun-kissed skin that bruised and sliced so easily. Ryan’s hair was growing out and he loved the golden waves touching the nape of his neck, the gold piercings glittering along the shell of his ear. 

 

Ryan had told him at length about the Curse, had explained long ago about the pull it caused. None of that mattered to Michael. He believed what his soul was telling him. This human was his mate, and he was stunningly gorgeous. The most beautiful creature Michael had ever seen. And at this moment he had him all to himself.

 

“They’re fantasy stories,” Ryan explained as he took a small book off the shelf. He walked over to their bed and sat down at the edge, idly flipping through it. “They’re fables of monsters and beautiful princesses, stories of why the moon and sun rise and fall. They’re meant for children but some of them are truly works of art and entertaining. Why snow falls, why the rain comes - sometimes they’re moral stories, to teach a lesson and stuff. Conquering heroes and bloodthirsty beasts and all that.”   
  
“Strange,” Michael muttered as he wrapped his tail around the human’s waist and dragged him into the middle of the bed. Ryan laughed as he was so easily moved, petting the soft scales on the tail’s underbelly. When they were together in the nest instead of the in the depths of the treasure hoard, Michael stayed in his half human form. Blood red scales bloomed over all his pulse points and down his spine, his tail protruding and lengthy. Red and gold scales folded over one another, like steel above on the spinal ridges, but growing more pliant beneath. Michael loomed over him, taller and more broad in this form. His curls were fulsome and fell into his eyes, the thin tips of his reptilian ears peeking out from beneath them. Behind his beestung lips were fangs, and his eyes were like puddles of pure copper with slitted pupils. 

 

Michael curled around the prince like a giant cat, even humming in content low like a purr as he settled his head in the boy’s lap. Ryan admired the thick patches of scales upon the dragon’s throat, across his chest, down and fanning along his belly. He loved Michael’s true form but in this one they could touch more like humans. In this form, there were fingers to lace and lips to kiss.

 

Michael was gorgeous in all forms, but like this they could make love if they chose. The dragon’s cock, even soft, was thick between his thighs. There were ridges there that stiffened during mating and just getting a glimpse of them made the human shiver.

 

“Humans seem very busy with their lives and yet they have all this time to write,” Michael snorted in amusement.

 

“We like fantasy stories, it gives us an escape,” Ryan explained patiently, as he did to Michael with most things human did. He smoothed some curls and smiled at the other’s profile, admiring the soft line of his nose and the little spatter of cinnamon marks that seemed to decorate his human skin whenever it showed. “Parents usually read them to their little ones before they go to bed.”

 

Michael hummed more lowly, thoughtfully. He rubbed his cheek against Ryan’s thigh. “Do you wish to mate again tonight, treasure?”

 

Ryan flushed. His hole was still sore and wet from their last coupling. “W-We could. I’ve had a bit too much wine and I find myself more tired than usual.”   
  


“Good. I am ready for sleep as well.” Michael reached out blindly and tapped his fingers on the book. “Read.”

 

Ryan frowned a little. “I don’t want to keep you up. I can read tomorrow while you hunt.”

 

“No, mate, read out loud,” Michael clarified, tapping more insistently on the cover. “To  _ me _ .”

 

“Oh!” Ryan beamed down at his lover. “I would love to. Let me get comfortable.”

 

They pulled all the pillows closer and Ryan propped himself up with them. The dragon curled tighter around him, tail wrapped firmly around the human’s waist while he spread out over his lap. His stomach rested on Ryan’s buttery soft thighs and his own arms were folded under his head, cheek pressed to them as he listened to the tale of the Snowlings. Ryan had a wonderful voice for storytelling, low and slow like a simmer with perfect inflection. The prince’s birthright was evident with the easy way he read, though it was cute when the prince flubbed and flushed in embarrassment.

 

“ ‘And to this day, when the first son of a prestigious Northern family is born and takes his first breath, a Snowling takes its first breath as well. They are bonded, from here to the end of time. Not even death separates them’,” Ryan finished with a happy sigh, heart warm with the romance of the tale. He closed the book and set it aside, petting Michael’s hip. “Did you like it?”   
  
“Beings born from the snow,” Michael mulled over, a smile tugging his lips. “Yes. It amused me. I have seen creatures that survive in the snow and ice, it is good to hear about them. The characters were pleasing.”

 

Ryan chuckled and patted the dragon’s side. “Yes, most pleasing.”

 

“And there are more?” Michael asked, trying not to sound overeager. 

 

“Many more, my dragon,” Ryan promised. “We can read more whenever you like.”   
  
“Good,” Michael turned over and and stretched, smoke pouring from his nose. “Let us sleep.”

 

“Yes, let us.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

‘Storytime’ quickly became a regular thing during his nights with Michael. It was a great treat for them both. Ryan would have some wine after his mate provided a hearty meal for him, they’d make love or talk, and then his dragon would look hopefully toward the shelves and he knew it was time to pick one.

 

Ryan found Michael truly beautiful, but he never knew his lover could be so cute. Michael loved storytime more than he admitted, but it was written all over his face, shown in every gesture. Michael’s tail thumped when he got impatient, usually when the tale was dragging on and the ending wasn’t obvious. But his tail gently swayed and he hummed under his breath when good things occurred. Dark smoke curled from his nostrils when Michael was displeased with the ending and it took lots of kisses to get him out of a bad mood.  

 

While the artsy stories of how things came to be were amusing, Ryan started switching to the more royal-based fairytales and they became a fast favorite. Especially the ones with dragons in them. Michael became absolutely obsessed with those describing his kin, looking at Ryan absolutely mesmerized as the prince described how dragons captured royalty for one reason or another. 

 

“Wait!” Michael laid a hand on the book and gaped at the prince the first time he read about a dragon breaking through a castle to take the princess. “This is a human story? They truly wrote of this?

 

“Do you think you’re the first dragon to ever capture a prince?” Ryan teased lightly, giving the other a chaste kiss. “Hush, let me finish.”

 

Michael was enraptured until he realized exactly what “happily ever after” meant for the dragon. A sword across the throat, gutted, skinned, becoming little more than a rug or a steaming plate of meat at the wedding feast of the vanquishing knight and the much-in-love princess. It became a love/hate relationship with those particular stories.

 

o0o0o0o

 

Michael narrowed his eyes as his mate stripped down to nothing and stalked toward the bed, grinning and leaning down to crawl across the blankets. 

 

“Book.”

 

Ryan frowned. He looked between their bare bodies, felt the weight of his own arousal between his thighs. “I thought we were going to mate?” He reached for Michael to pet his scaled hip but the dragon huffed out a cloud of steam. “Michael, gods, what’s wrong?

 

“We can mate after storytime.”

 

Ryan’s jaw dropped before he broke into a laugh. “Am I your mother? Shall I get you warm milk as well? Gods blood, Michael, you are the most adorable little dragon.” He cried out as he was snatched around the waist by the other’s tail and thrown down onto the nest, air puffing out of him at the impact. Michael snarled and hovered over him, fangs flashing and eyes glowing a soft gold. Ryan stared, heart pounding against his ribs as the creature loomed like he was getting ready to strike.

 

“I will fill you with my seed  _ after _ you read me another fairytale,” Michael growled out. Seeing the human’s surprise, he leaned down and very gently brushed their noses. He took a little breath and quieted his passion, remembering the manners he’d learned from his prince. “ _ Please _ .”

 

Ryan laid a hand over the back of the dragon’s neck and rubbed his thumb over the scales there, the ones that disappeared into his curls. “Of course, my love.”

 

Michael turned his head and placed a delicate kiss on the human’s wrist. “Thank you.” He visibly struggled before soft smoke spilled out from his lips. “I love to hear you talk, mate. Your voice is soothing to me. I have…” He clenched his eyes shut, struggling to explain. “You know I have been alone for too long. Before I felt your birth, I had fallen into a slumber for hundreds of years. Before that, even with my kind around, no other called to me like you have.”

 

“You know I’m cursed,” Ryan breathed out, searching the other’s face as he spoke the truth. “The call you heard was magic.”

 

Michael smiled against his skin, teeth grazing lightly. “Nothing calls more strongly to dragons than magic.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

There were other stories Michael enjoyed but for much less innocent reasons. While Michael thoroughly enjoyed seeing their own romance played out in the human books, he also enjoyed seeing characters that mirrored Ryan’s other suitors  _ fail _ .

 

“ ‘...and Gendry raised his silver sword, brimming with blessings of the gods and the love for his princess, and lopped the lycan’s head clean off’,” Ryan read aloud, shaking his head when he Michael happily puffed. The dragon’s tail wiggled around his waist, the very end of it wagging gently near his hip. “ ‘Blood sprayed like water over the knight but he did not waver. It was akin to being cleansed in the waters of the Mother and then he felt cleansed. The beast’s death was not an end to a journey but the start of his life. A second chance’ .”

 

Michael’s laugh was much too joyous. Ryan raised the book and looked down at the smiling dragon. “Are you enjoying yourself, my love?”

 

“Your little dog.” There was a dark glint in the creature’s eye as he turned his gaze to Ryan. “Jeremy. He did not succeed.”

 

Ryan glared down at him. “What a cruel thing to say. Jeremy is a good knight. He has saved my life more times than I can count. You will not mock his curse.”

 

“He is a slave to the moon.” Michael stretched and turned over on his back, grinning to show off his fangs. “And to you, Ryan. He thinks you his own mate.”

 

“You all think me yours,” Ryan purred back at him, taking a hand off the book to pinch the dragon’s cheek. That knocked the smile right off his face. “Let me finish.”

 

o0o

 

“ ‘The blood drinkers were dragged out in chains into the high noon sun. Their crimes against the kingdom were unspeakable. For generations they had captured young nobles and drained them dry, stolen them from their beds and left them no more than husks. But the princess was safely tucked away now in the arms of her beloved savior, the brave knight Jorah. Tales of his raid upon their nest would be told for generations to come, and the announcement of his engagement to the princess Tyree would be known that night.’ ” Ryan took a slow, long breath. “ ‘The blood drinkers burned bright blue. Their screams could be heard for miles, high wails that stung the ears of all nearby.’ ”

 

A loud purring cut him off.

 

“Michael.” Ryan’s tone had steel to it.

 

Michael hid his cocky grin against the prince’s thigh as he tried to quiet his pleased noises. 

 

o0o

 

Ryan couldn’t even get halfway through the story of a forest nymph dazzling a queen into his woods before Michael was belly laughing. “Michael!”

 

“That forest king,” Michael wheezed, grinning from ear to ear. He batted insistently at the book through his giggle fit. “Skip ahead! Skip ahead! Tell me that little monster gets burned! Or beheaded! I need to know!” Ryan raised a skeptical eyebrow as the dragon wriggled around in his lap, looking far too pleased. “Read the end to me, I demand it!”

 

Ryan pointedly closed the book and stared him down. Michael gradually calmed down and slumped in his lap, tail limp on the bed and face pulled into one of regret. 

 

“Please, my mate?” Michael pleaded. “I am just excited for the ending.”

 

“You’re excited to hear Gavin’s symbolic death,” Ryan corrected.

 

“Of course not,” Michael blatantly lied.

 

Ryan put the book beside the dragon’s arm. “Go pick another.”

 

Michael let out a chirp of protest. “But I want this one!”

 

Ryan’s lips pursed tight. “Are you going to be quiet and good until I finish the story?”

 

Michael’s mouth snapped shut and quickly nodded.

 

“Do you promise?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Okay. Then we can continue.”  

 

o0o

 

“ ‘As the sword slid into the sorcerer’s chest, the barbs around the king’s throat went slack, and the princess breathed a sigh of relief.’ ” 

 

Ryan paused there in the story and looked at the dragon in anticipation of the cruel comments about Ray. Michael was laying at the far end of the nest on his stomach, arms folded under his chin as he stared into the smoldering embers of the hearth. His tail was eerily still and his wings were curled tight around him. He looked… _ small _ , almost. Contemplative. 

 

“Silence?” Ryan inquired. “No snide remarks? Is it not humorous? Does the sorcerer not remind you of Ray?”

 

Michael’s nostrils flared but there was no smoke. “No. There is no victory in Raymond’s defeat.”

 

Shock wrote itself across Ryan’s features. “You hate him so much?”   
  


 

“Quite the opposite.” Michael turned his head, his golden gaze warmed down like the embers to a soft amber. “His death would bring me no joy.”   
  


 

“Even if he’s one of my stronger suitors?” Ryan teased lightly, wondering just what the creature was thinking. 

 

Michael tisked sharply. “The only suitor of yours I truly want dead is one who could test my claim on you, mate. Raymond poses no threat. I enjoy him, and our rivalry.” He cocked his head thoughtfully. “He has mentioned he came from a line of royalty from the Men’s southern kingdoms. In another life, I may have captured him instead. He could be warming my nest and we would have never met.”

 

Ryan expected to feel a flare of jealousy or fear but there was only fond surprise with an underlayer of heat. He let himself imagine the dragon and his sorcerer touching one another in lust, fangs shining as their lips slotted together in a searing kiss. How they’d look - Ray’s dark complexion against Michael’s pale form, a galaxy of freckles and sunspots, the dragon’s wing arching high above Ray’s bowed body as they rutted.

 

Ryan hid his face against the back of his hand and made himself take deep, slow breaths to calm his desire. 

 

“Mate?” Michael questioned, scenting the prince’s arousal and seeing it tent the sheet over his lap. 

 

“L-Let’s continue the story.”

 

The dragon crawled to him and licked his throat. He was lost.

 

Ryan found the book on his next visit, still in the nest and tangled up in a sheet. Michael demanded he read it over again. 

 

o0o

 

Ryan winced as he realized where the story was headed. “ ‘While the dragon’s fire ate up the small forms of the Kingsguard, there was one knight who hid in wait. He waited until the beast had reared it’s head back in a victorious screech and pounced off the pillar, risking life and limb for the glory. With all the strength he could muster, he thrust his sword into the crest of the dragon’s throat. Blood like liquid gold poured over-’ ”

 

Michael’s roar drowned out his words, the dragon scrambling off his lap and sliding to the floor. He paced in a quick circle, scales flexing and swimming over his skin as he tried to keep his true form contained. Sparks sputtered around his teeth as he snapped them, eyes glowing so strongly they cast a light. His tail whipped sharply, wings sprouting so suddenly it was grotesque how the human skin stretched and split to allow them to break free. 

 

Any other human would have been terrified, but Ryan stayed quiet and waited it out. 

 

Michael stopped and his claws cracked the stone beneath him, calming down enough to form words. “Every time my kind are featured in these books, they are slain.”

 

“Tis’ true,” Ryan replied, thumb rubbing over the image of the dragon within the book. “They aren’t often the hero. They are notoriously the monster that takes the princess from her home and tries to keep her as their own.” Michael whined and the prince closed the book, laying it aside so he could crawl down the length of the nest to get to his mate. He eased off and down to the floor with him. He laid down beside him and took his hand, lacing their fingers. “Michael?”

 

The dragon was quiet, staring down at the floor.

 

“My Michael,” Ryan sighed, fingers dancing up the other’s arm to trace over scales. “Some see you as that kind of monster.  _ I _ do not.” Golden eyes slid to him, disbelief within them. “I know you are good and you would never hurt me. You have not taken me to destroy the kingdoms of Men, you’ve done it for love.” He squeezed the other’s fingers. “And you always give me back. You are not selfish, my love, and for that you have my heart. You go beyond your nature to make me happy.”

 

Michael moved quick. Ryan was scooped up in the dragon’s arms, straddling his lap and clinging to him so as not to spill onto the floor. Full lips kissed over his throat and he tilted his head back, whispering the creature’s name. 

 

“My treasure,” Michael rumbled, mouthing at the human’s jumping pulse. 

 

Ryan sighed happily, threading his fingers through cinnamon curls. “Yes. Yours, my dragon.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

Michael made another trip to a major city and this time his bounty consisted strictly of princess based stories. He couldn’t read but the knife at the Maester’s throat reassured him that his request was fulfilled. 

 

o0o0o0o

 

During Ryan’s next stay, Michael initiated storytime. He took a book off the shelf himself and walked it over to the nest, setting it in his mate’s raised hand. The cover had a golden haired princess on it and it looked horribly expensive. Ryan frowned down at it. “Can you read this one tonight?”

 

The request was soft spoken but it didn’t kill Ryan’s curiosity. 

 

“Where exactly did you get this?”

 

Michael shrugged in a very human gesture. “Do not concern yourself with that. Please read it.”

 

Ryan opened up the book and his mate chittered gleefully in the back of his throat, plopping down onto the nest with. Michael took his favorite position all wrapped around his prince, face nestled against his bare stomach and tail coiled along his waist. Michael had made himself smaller for tonight so he could be pressed as close as possible, his wings contained as he compressed his massive form to be about Ryan’s own size. 

 

It was a fairly simple story, one written and illustrated for young girls. The words were romantic and the pictures were very pretty, very well done. It was something a noble girl would be proud to have. “ ‘Once upon a time, there was a fair and beautiful princess-’ ”

 

Michael growled and it took Ryan a moment to realize why. He rolled his eyes and continued to read, altering his words. “-beautiful  _ prince _ , with honey-gold hair and eyes so green they-” Another growl and he sighed. “-so  _ blue  _ they rivaled emer...rivaled the sapphire skies?”

 

He moved the book and looked down expectantly. Michael nodded solemnly.

 

“She -  _ he _ , was beloved by all.”

 

Michael purred contently against his stomach, nuzzling the fine blonde hair there as he enjoyed the new story.

  
  


o0o0o0o

 

Michael had helped Ryan prepare a bath in one of the inner caves. After making sure his prince had everything he needed, he left him to enjoy the dragon-fire warmed water. Michael made his way back to their nest room and the growing book collection got his attention. Some were pretty enough and they gave his mate joy, but he would always prefer gemstones. They  _ shined  _ and sparkled, and these things...they were just paper. 

 

Michael took one and flipped through it, nose scrunching in disgust as he recognized the pictures. This fairytale in particular was about a great golden dragon who stole a trio of princesses. It had been a particularly heartbreaking tale for Michael because the youngest princess had fallen in love with the gruff dragon, and had wept when the mirroring trio of knights had ganged up to slay the poor creature.  

 

While those in the story had rejoiced, Michael had gone to bed upset. 

 

Michael picked through all the books and plucked all the familiar ones, vividly remembering each and every unsatisfying ending. Each book he put into his arms had a lovely princes or prince who was taken by a dragon, a salamander, all kinds of reptilian monsters who only wanted pretty things. They were beasts he could find kinship with.

 

He took the small pile of books to the nest and dumped them among the rumpled sheets. The dragon sat down among them and started flipping them open, spotting familiar images and the few words he knew. The humans had such a ridiculous language, they had too many words and none of them could agree on one universal communication as his own kind had. He preferred runes to these scratches but he could recognize ‘dragon’ and ‘prince’, and the bitter poison that was  _ knight _ . 

 

Michael’s teeth morphed at the flex of his will, sharpening to a razor edge. He couldn’t read but he recognized the ending, could see the pictures and the context clues to find the places where the monster was slain. He snarled and dug his face into the book, snagging the paper with his fangs and ripping them out. He munched on them out of spite, ink bitter on his tongue but the satisfaction of destroying outweighed it. He chewed it up and started to swallow, fire building up in the back of his throat and turning it to ash before he could stomach it. The charred taste was nice, it felt like a little victory. 

 

He did this to all the books in the pile, eating and burning the endings. It was almost compulsive, a savage need bringing out the fire even in his semi-human form. When he was done, all those particular stories stopped abruptly. When he felt satisfied and the anger had cooled off, he put them back. 

 

Ryan came back and dried himself off against the dragon’s flesh, droplets vanishing under the heat. Michael found himself with a lap full of naked, willing prince with thighs that felt like silk under his hands. The books were forgotten, and no storytime was asked of as they indulged in each other.  

 

The next night, Michael was surprisingly shy as he brought his mate a tray of things. Ryan was confused but willing to wait for his mate to explain what he wanted. The tray had starchy blank paper, an ink well, a feathered pen, a small bottle of sand, and one of the books Michael had loved so much until the golden dragon had been slaughtered. It was a very pretty book with gold leaf and an intricate cover, lots of well done pictures and fine script. But there was something  _ off  _ about it.

 

“What did you do?” Ryan opened the book and flipped through it until he found missing pages. “For goodness sake, Michael! You maimed it. No, by the look of it, you  _ ate  _ it!”

 

Michael put the tray down on the nest and crawled into his mate’s lap. He cradled Ryan’s jaw between two careful hands and gave him a gentle peck on the lips. “Mate, please write me new endings?”

 

Ryan frowned thoughtfully. “What do you mean?”

 

Michael whined and buried his face in his mate’s throat, absolutely  _ not  _ pouting. “I took out the bad endings to our books. I want you to write new endings for them, especially this one. Write...write the young princess finding love with my kin. They deserve real happy endings, like ours.”

 

Ryan’s heart broke and melted all at once, reforming twice as swollen with affection for the dragon. “Oh, Michael.”

 

Michael nudged under his chin and gave the sweetest little croon, wordlessly begging. How was he supposed to resist such an adorable little creature?

 

“Okay, my love. I shall write new endings for you. The dragon shall live in each one, I promise.”

 

Michael pulled away and Ryan wanted to whine at the puppy eyes his lover was giving him. “And the knights will perish?”

 

“Wicked thing!” Ryan laughed, patting his hips. “Fine! I’ll do just want you want, as always.”

 

Michael kissed the breath right out of him and he knew then he’d agree to anything if it meant getting kisses like that. His dragon was sugar sweet to him. Michael rearranged the nest to set him up comfortably, stacking pillows behind him and even wiggling himself up behind him to keep him upright. Strong hands massaged his shoulders and down his back as he wrote out a new, lengthy ending to the golden dragon tale. It was very endearing and Ryan fell into his task very happily.

 

It was late into the night when Ryan finally finished, eyelids heavy and pen sluggish across the paper. The sun was soon to kiss the horizon when Michael took the tray away and tucked his mate in, bundling him close and wrapping him in silk. 

 

Ryan yawned and tucked himself against the dragon, soaking in his warmth. He was exhausted but Michael’s little nuzzles and kisses made it all worth it, the inked pages safely on the floor and drying. Solid fingers curled around his nape and he gave a small, blissful sigh.

 

“Will you read it to me tomorrow night?” Michael whispered, lips brushing his temple.

 

“Of course,” the prince murmured, already half asleep.

 

“And you will write more?” Michael prompted, the end of his tail flicking. 

 

Ryan snored in response, limp and soft against the dragon.

 

Michael kissed his temple more firmly. “I will ask in the morning, my treasure.”

 

o0o

 

Michael thoroughly enjoyed his mate reading the new ending. It was well written, and in the end the young princess confessed her love to the golden dragon. They flew off together in the retelling, the princess shedding her responsibilities and following her heart. 

 

It was very romantic and satisfied them both. 

 

Michael requested more endings and his mate was more than glad to obey.

 

o0o0o0o

 

Michael didn’t understand why his mate reacted so strangely when he handed him a newly acquired book. It was small and black, well worn, and he thought it would be a good read if it was already so used. But Ryan choked on his breath as he opened the book. The human blushed more darkly than Michael had ever seen, rich color spreading down his cheeks to his throat and further. He watched, captivated, as the prince’s cock twitched and started to fill. 

 

“MIchael!” Ryan scolded, dragging the silk sheet over his lap to cover his lust. “Where did you find this book?”   
  


 

Michael frowned at his mate’s sharp tone. “It was in the last crate of books I found for you. Is it not good?”

 

“It’s filth!” Ryan flipped a few more pages, cheeks burning. “T-This is...gods blood, Michael. This would be almost treasonous if based on true royals.”

 

Michael’s tail flicked behind him, whipping through the air in sudden excitement. “What is it about?”

 

Ryan had to clear his throat twice before he could give an answer without flubbing. “It’s about twin heirs to a coveted throne. A prince and a princess.”

 

“What do they look like?” Michael needled as he hopped into the nest. “Are there pictures?”

 

“No.” Ryan read through the first pages, skimming. “Of course. They’re fair, blonde, with eyes like sapphires. All of those boring norms in these smut tales. It’s rare they are written down though.” He saw the way Michael’s eyes shined, pupils flexing. “Michael!”

 

“Read it,” Michael begged, pawing at the human. His claws skimmed his delicate skin but didn’t slice, he was careful as he rubbed against him. He nuzzled at Ryan’s throat and the rich blonde of his beard. Michael’s chest shook with the purring noise he knew his mate loved. “You are embarrassed.”

 

“I’m not,” Ryan shot back, traitorous fingers still turning over pages. “I don’t want to read this filth out loud. Some heathen penned this and it is below me.”

 

“Is it?” Michael’s breath tickled his ear but his fingers were sure, curling around the prince’s hip beneath the sheet. “Tell me what happens to these little nobles, my treasure.”

 

“Michael,” Ryan whined in protest.

 

“For me?”

 

Ryan scanned through the pages, flipping them carefully as he tried not to whimper. The story was utter smut, through and through, something lower born wrote about royal families to fulfill fantasies. “The twins are captured by pirates and used as pleasure slaves.”

 

“How so?” Michael prompted, staring at the pages as if he’d be able to read for himself. “Does it say? Read it.” 

 

“Lusty little devil,” Ryan cursed under his breath as he searched for a proper description. “ ‘The twins were slung over the hammocks deep below deck, lithe bodies dipping the slings until they were the perfect height for rough rutting. Coarse braided ropes wrapped around their soft limbs, leaving burns and purple bruises behind. Their hands were tight loose behind their backs, thighs bound and spread wide….long cloths were tied around their heads, stuffed between their red lips to stifle their pathetic sobs and whimpers for mercy.’  _ Gods _ .”

 

Ryan rubbed the back of his hand over his cheek. He was hot all over, cock throbbing beneath the sheets. The imagery was...compelling, to say the least. It was all too easy to imagine himself in their places, wrapped up in rough rope and exposed, ready for use. It was disgustingly indulgent and dark but he couldn’t take his eyes off the pages. 

 

“Does that arouse you, treasure?” Michael inquired, fingers carding through blonde hair. He rubbed at his small little ears and the delicate flesh of his throat. Ryan smelled so alive beneath him, the hot rush of blood and sweet musk of his need. His mate was panting lightly and starting to sweat, a rosy glow all over his fine form. They were all sure signs of being ready to mate. “Filthy human men with their pathetic cocks huddled around and licking their chops at the sight of you? From what you described, you’d be quite exposed. They could have you as many times as they probably had those little twins. Does that make you stiff?”

 

He laid a hand on Ryan’s covered cock and his mate cried out. The book dropped as he slapped his hands down on the mattress and Michael cooed excitedly. “Oh, sweet treasure.”

 

Ryan swallowed thickly, shaking his head. “N-Not them...I…”

 

“What then?” Michael pried, wanting so badly to know the inner workings and desires of his mate. “Who?”

 

Ryan’s lashes fluttered and he had to look away, teeth dragging over his lip. “It’s shameful.”

 

The human whined lowly. “I...I wouldn’t mind if it was…”

 

The dragon’s claws sunk into the plush flesh of his thigh and he rushed out the words. “You, the other suitors. All of you around me while I was bound up, wet and open for you all to take.”

 

“Treasure,” Michael purred, hand rising to rub his knuckles over the prince’s stubbled cheek. “You would like to be our own little pleasure slave?”

 

Ryan nodded, leaning into the touch, smearing the silk sheet with his sudden rush of desire. “I’d be used by you all, just yours…”

 

Michael’s lips skimmed his ear, a grin turning his mouth. “You’d catch, mate. You wouldn’t know who’s little one you carried by the end of it.”

 

Ryan doubled over, mouth dropping over as he almost came. He bore down on Michael’s hand and squeezed the base of his length, staving off a quick finish. The dragon’s loud purr did little to help and he pressed against him, head bowed as he came back from the edge. “ _ Bastard _ .”

 

Michael pushed him down into the nest and there were no more words. 

 

o0o0o0o

 

Michael had not had his mate by his side for two full moon cycles. The other royal suitors, the monsters he competed with for Ryan’s heart, had been striving to capture the prince. He would let Ryan enjoy his time with the others, and soon the prince would need to spend time actually helping his kingdom and whatnot. Princely responsibilities and such. 

 

Michael usually spent his stints alone sleeping, exploring the world a bit, hunting down big game, but often he like to go through his hoard. He would pick through the mountains of gold and gems, plucking out the best of the best and adding it to thick chests. Some he planned to give to Ryan, other treasures he just wanted to separate for later admiration. He’d mount the armor for something to do, sometimes destroying pieces when they displeased him.

 

Today he explored their nesting room. He had pillows to add from his last raid and he dumped them upon the sheets. He went through the room, straightening and organizing. He thought about his mate and the things he liked, things Michael could find for him. 

 

When he got to the shelves of books, he started to look through them. The words he knew in the human language were few but he enjoyed the artwork. Some of it was impressive and he could admire it, though he preferred to look at it while listening to his mate read to him. The fairytales were enjoyable, even if the dragons usually perished. 

 

Michael’s wings flexed out in interest as he hit the ending to one of the books they haven’t read yet. The last page was a full color illustration of a human wedding. Michael knew a little about it, marriage and all that, and there was a knight along with a princess. She was gorgeous and so familiar. Her golden hair was short and kissing her ears, eyes a rich blue as they gazed adoringly at her husband, and her flowing dress gave her an ethereal look that entranced the dragon. She looked so nice, so elegant…

 

Michael cooed quietly to himself as he imagined Ryan at a wedding, his wedding. Dressed all in embroidered white, a silver crown upon his head and his cheeks flushed with happiness. From what Michael understood, humans were very picky about their genders and assigned their clothing accordingly. Ryan would look very lovely in a dress but he would want his prince to wear whatever he wanted. 

 

Ryan was going to be one of the most handsome king’s in written history, Michael already knew that. 

 

Michael carefully took the page between his fingers and ripped it down the middle, crumpling up the half with the pompous knight and letting it turn to ash in his palm. He rubbed the dust off on his leg before tucking the book back into place. The image of the princess stayed with him even as he relaxed upon his piles of gold in his full form.

 

Marrying Ryan in the human way would mean nothing to him, not like how the Creeper and Vampire King were obsessed with. Those vows were just words, made for the New Gods and the laws of Men. 

 

Michael stretched out and rumbled contently as he heard the gold shifting and spilling all around him. There was one thing he could think of that would mean the same.

 

o0o0o0o

 

Ryan felt truly spoiled. Michael had captured him much more sweetly than his usual fire-and-roar approach. The dragon had come to him in a purely human form in the dead of night and swept him off his feet with mountain flowers. Ryan had been lovingly woken and the wreath of blossoms had been placed upon his brow. Michael had snuck him out the window and all but carried him bridal style off the grounds and into the forest. They’d laughed and teased one another, playing chase a few times as they worked toward a clearing. There he saw his dragon in his grand, true form and they flew off together.

 

Michael had acquired stonefruit and fire-roasted venison for him, feeding it to him in succulent bites right from his overly warm fingers. Ryan didn’t need furs with how fire hot his lover was, ancient fire burning inside him and consuming the prince in its safe embrace. 

 

Michael had his wings spread out comfortable, folding them over the back of the low sofa that had been procured with Ryan’s help quite some time ago. Ryan reclined easily in his lap, the dragon’s chest pressed to his back and his mouth lazily running over his nape. It was pleasantly quiet with just the crackle of the fire in the nearby hearth and their breaths. 

 

Michael tipped his mate’s head back and nuzzled below his ear, humming. “Treasure.”

 

“Darling?” Ryan echoed with a sweet smile.

 

“Mate with me,” Michael whispered against his skin, claws dragging so faintly down the prince’s arms. 

 

Ryan stretched like a sluggish cat against him. “Always.”

 

“This is something different I ask of you.” Michael laid a hand over the human’s chest, feeling his heartbeat. “My kind goes through a mating ritual for breeding. A rut.”

 

“Is that like a heat?” Ryan wondered aloud.

 

“Very much. If I had a womb, it would be such. But I go through ruts, to breed, not be bred.” Michael rubbed his half-hard length against the human’s bare skin and grinned at the way he shuddered. “You have never taken my knot, treasure.”

 

Ryan gasped shrilly as the memory of Jeremy’s thick knot, heat pulsing through him. “By the gods. You have one?”

 

“It comes out only in rut, only with my chosen mate,” Michael confessed, thumb rubbing just below the human’s firm nipple to make him squirm. “I cannot marry you like those ridiculous knights. Your human words and rituals mean nothing to me or my kind. But taking my knot...though you cannot carry my heir-”   
  


“There’s a deep trust,” Ryan finished gently, turning to give the dragon a brief kiss. “I would be honored to do this with you, to take care of you in your rut.”

 

Michael cupped his cheek, searching his face for any sign of hesitation. “There is a bond that forms during these times. The old magic that lives in the blood of my kind will consume you, my treasure.” He brushed their lips. “My Ryan.”

 

“I want it,” Ryan rasped, so honest it was almost agony.

 

Michael’s brow pinched up, eyes closed as he thought of his next words. “I know you will not completely be mine. Asking you to bind yourself to me, and only to me, is not...fair. You love so many.”

 

“I love you all,” Ryan promised quietly, heart aching in his chest.

 

“Doing this will mean you are my mate, in all the ways I can do without trapping you here,” Michael admitted with a tinge of hope. “It won’t isolate you from the others. It will only make our bond stronger.”

 

Ryan gently rested his forehead against the other’s and smiled. “ _ Good _ .”

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
